Trent Alexander-Arnold: "I'm Still an England Player" — and the Liverpool Abuse Still Hurts
Trent Alexander-Arnold has spoken openly for the first time since leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid, revealing that he still receives abuse from Liverpool fans online and insisting he has not given up on his England career.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Mirror, the 27-year-old said the reaction from supporters he once called his own has been painful to absorb. "Liverpool is always my home," he said, "and my fans' reaction hurts me" (Goal). The move to Madrid was acrimonious — his contract at Anfield ran down, and he left on a free transfer, a departure that stung a fanbase used to seeing one of their own captain the side.
The relationship had been fraying before he even left. In October, Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports he would rather win the Ballon d'Or — football's most prestigious individual award — than a team trophy, a comment that irritated a section of Liverpool supporters (BBC Sport). The online abuse that followed his transfer decision has not faded with time, he confirmed.
Away from the noise, Alexander-Arnold has settled quickly in the Spanish capital. In March, after Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-0 in a Champions League knockout tie, he leaned into the moment: "Weren't Real Madrid supposed to get battered? We have a winning mentality" (Sky Sports). Real had been cast as underdogs against Pep Guardiola's side. The result, and Alexander-Arnold's delight in it, said everything about why he chose the Bernabéu.
His England situation is less straightforward. Alexander-Arnold's most recent cap — his 34th — came as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Andorra in June 2025 (BBC Sport). He was left out of the squad that went to the World Cup, a omission that clearly still burns. Speaking to the BBC, he said he wants to use that disappointment as fuel to force his way back into the England setup.
He was direct about his intentions. Alexander-Arnold said he still considers himself an England player until he retires and is always available if the manager needs him (BBC Sport). For a player who has won everything at club level — the Champions League, the Premier League, the Club World Cup — the idea of an international career left unfinished clearly sits uncomfortably.
What makes this picture complicated is that both threads run at once. At Real Madrid, he is thriving in a dressing room that treats winning as a baseline expectation. In Liverpool, he is a lightning rod — a local boy whose departure still draws venom from the very stands where he learned the game. And with England, he is somewhere in between: not retired, not selected, waiting for a call that may or may not come.
Alexander-Arnold has not hidden from any of it. Whether the abuse softens, the England recall arrives, or the Anfield crowd ever sings his name again — none of that is in his hands. What he can control is what happens on the pitch in white. So far, that part is going rather well.
